Posted June 30, 2016 by Jonelle Patrick6 Comments Just another day in Japan

Hydrangeas: Gateway To A Life Of Crime

I have a confession to make. Although my job is to write about ingenious ways people commit murder and mayhem, when it comes to obsessing about how I’d commit the perfect crime, it always ends up with hydrangeas.

Yes, hydrangeas. To be more specific, hydrangea smuggling. Because before I went to Japan, I never dreamed that the humble fluffballs flanking granny’s porch could come in so many colors. Or so many shapes. Or be so…lustworthy.

But because bringing anything even remotely resembling a plant into California is punishable by green-coated beagle outing before you even clear baggage claim, this led to a sorry situation in which an NSA scan of my search history might reveal pages devoted to drug-sniffing-dog-proof containers (too small), how to grow an entire plant from a single leaf using massive quantities of growth hormone (too iffy for people who haven’t managed to keep a houseplant alive EVER), whether bridal bouquets might get a pass from soft-hearted customs officials (don’t count on it) and so forth.

Still haven’t cracked it. So until I do, I’m just going to have to content myself with collecting photos of them. Which I’m going to share with you, so we can room together in prison.

Typical Japanese hydrangeas are blue. And not a namby-pamby blue, either. I mean, Japanese hydrangeas : American hydrangeas = a French baguette fresh from the oven eaten on the banks of the Seine as the sun rises : Wonder Bread. If you know what I mean. — Typical Japanese hydrangeas are blue. And not a namby-pamby blue, either. I mean, Japanese hydrangeas are to American hydrangeas as a French baguette fresh from the oven eaten on the banks of the Seine as the sun rises is to Wonder Bread. If you know what I mean.

But it's not only that they're blue... — But it’s not just that they’re blue…

When you look at them up close, they have a completely different complex beauty. — When you look at them up close, it’s like each flower is a whole parallel universe fractal bouquet (and you don’t even need to be vaping to marvel at this)

Like little origami flowers, for example. — Or check these out, up close. They look like little origami, don’t you think?

Or curly ones. — And these curly ones. Don’t they make you happy, just looking at them?

Or ones with names like "Kurohime" which means Dark Princess. (I mean, how awesome would it be to have a garden in which a whole platoon of DARK PRINCESSES lurked?) — Or ones with names like “Kurohime” which means Dark Princess. I mean, how awesome would it be to have a garden in which a whole platoon of DARK PRINCESSES lurked?

And in Japan, they bloom during the peak of Moss Season, thus making the eye candy element almost unbearable. — To make matters worse, in Japan, hydrangeas bloom during the peak of Moss Season, thus making the I WANT THAT nearly unbearable.

Of course, there ARE pink ones, but even those manage to have elegantly lust-worthy pinked edges... — Of course, they do come in other colors, but even those manage to wow with elegant pinked edges…

...or look like the best fireworks you ever saw... — …or look like some sort of fantasy fireworks…

...or MY FAVORITE: have brilliant picotee edges — …or BE STILL MY HEART: those brilliant picotee edges

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Read a novel set in Tokyo…

When Detective Kenji Nakamura’s phone rings with the news that his mother’s death wasn’t an accident, his life begins to unravel…*read more*

Jonelle Patrick View All

Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!

6 thoughts on “Hydrangeas: Gateway To A Life Of Crime” Leave a comment ›

darsword says:

June 30, 2016 at 6:56 am

My girl cousins and I got in such trouble about Grandma’s hydrangeas! They made such perfect bouquets in our wedding plays.

- Jonelle Patrick says:
  
  June 30, 2016 at 8:36 am
  
  Ha! They ARE the perfect ready-made bouquets!
  
tokyobling says:

August 17, 2016 at 2:57 pm

Very poetic! Nicely written!

- Jonelle Patrick says:
  
  August 17, 2016 at 11:33 pm
  
  Waah, I’ve missed you! You must be busy, because there haven’t been any gorgeous new photos on your blog for a while ( ; _ ; ) I’ll be back in Tokyo on Friday – if you have time for lunch someday, ping me!
  
  - tokyobling says:
    
    August 22, 2016 at 6:12 pm
    
    How sweet of you. I am free for lunch every day this week.
Jonelle Patrick says:

August 23, 2016 at 5:38 am

Me too! Today I will go to Kamakura to see the lotus, but what about Friday? I seem to have misplaced your email address, but you can mail me at jonelle.patrick@mac.com. I would love to hear what you are doing now!